Other Descriptive Research Methods

1
chapter 16

• Other Descriptive Research Methods

2
Chapter Outline

• Developmental research
• The case study
• Job analysis
• Observational research
• Unobstrusive research techniques
• Correlational research

3
Developmental Research

• Longitudinal designs
• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Cross-sectional designs
• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Combinations (overlapping)
• (continued)

4
Developmental Research (continued)

• Methodological problems
• Unrepresentative scores
• Unclear semantics
• Lack of reliability
• Statistical problems
• Protecting participants

5
Case Studies

• Types
• Descriptive develops a detailed picture
• Interpretive uses data to classify or
  conceptualize
• Evaluative determines merits of practices or
  events
• Selecting participants
• Gathering and analyzing data

6
Job Analysis

• Used in sport management
• Used in fitness leadership
• Methods
• Surveys
• Interviews
• Shadowing

7
Observational Research

• What behaviors to observe
• Who to observe
• Where to observe
• How many observations
• When to observe
• (continued)

8
Observational Research (continued)

• How to score observations
• Narrative (continual recording)
• Tallying (frequency counting)
• Interval method
• Duration method
• Using videotape

9
Unobstrusive Research

• Collecting data when people dont know
• Nature of cities
• Who watches television
• Records of people and events
• Birth certificates
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Nature of graffiti

10
Correlational Research

• Explores relationships
• Makes predictions
• Characteristics
• Nature of participants
• Spread of scores
• Shrinkage in prediction
• Does not establish cause and effect